


Fantastical Reality

by Crash5020



Category: Doki Doki Literature Club! (Visual Novel)
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Creatures & Monsters, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Darkness, Developing Friendships, Fantasy, Friendship, Monsters, Self-Discovery
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-04
Updated: 2021-03-08
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:33:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,168
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27390502
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Crash5020/pseuds/Crash5020
Summary: A spin-off of Our Reality. For years, Shujinkou always wanted to see what the world had to offer and now that he's 19, he can finally do just that. With his kitsune friend Sayori by his side, they begin their journey through a world where humans and monsters live in a constant state of conflict.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 4





	1. Nighttime Departure

"Ha! Yah!" Shujinkou valiantly swung a twig around like a sword as he strolled around a forest blanketed by the darkness of night. Despite being called weird for it, there was something about taking a stroll after the sun went down that felt natural and soothing to him. He knew it made him different, but he was used to others thinking that way about him.

"Hah!" Shujinkou thrust the twig forward, unintentionally driving it into a tree. The child silently brought what was left of his pretend sword to his face, blankly staring at where the point used to be. "I can't wait to get a real sword one day…"

He tossed the twig over his shoulder before suddenly hearing a loud sound not too far away. It sounded like someone dropping an anvil from a very high height. His instincts taking charge, the child curiously ran to the source of the sound and found a young girl in the middle of a crater that matched perfectly matched her figure.

The child's curiosity shot up, driving him to approach the young girl. As he slowly moved closer, Shujinkou began to notice a few unusual features she had. Two fox-like ears sat atop her head and a single fluffy tail weakly wagged from side to side before crashing on the ground like a meteor.

"She's a monster…" Shujinkou thought aloud.

Looking past that revelation, the child then noticed that the girl was covered in burns and bruises. There was also a bright blue crystal tied around her neck. Before he could process anything further, several lines of rope fell into his field of vision. Shujinkou looked up and watched a few figures begin to repel down the nearby cliff wall.

Once again falling back on his instincts, Shujinkou wasted no time picking the girl up and ran deeper into the forest.

"Hang on. I'll get you somewhere safe and get you some help," he promised the unconscious girl.

He headed further and further into the darkness ahead of him, focused only on getting the stranger out of danger.

"Shiko!"

A bright voice pierced through the darkness, guiding Shujinkou back to reality.

"Shiko!"

A large yawn plowed through his lips as the young man sat up in his bed. Suddenly, his bedroom door flew open and a familiar figure lunged at him. Landing perfectly on top of him, Shujinkou soon found himself face to face with his childhood friend: Sayori.

"Morning, Shiko," she beamed, her fluffy tail happily wagging back and forth over his covered legs.

"Morning, Sayori," Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. It was kind of embarrassing seeing his oldest friend so soon after having a dream about her. "Did you need me for something?"

"Eh?" Sayori shot him a perplexed look. "You told me to make sure you don't sleep in today, remember?"

"Oh, right…" the young man rubbed his eyes and slid out of bed. "It'd be pretty dumb if I slept in on my own departure day."

"It seems pretty natural from what I heard… Anyway, I'll see you downstairs!"

After watching his friend run out of his room, Shujinkou walked to his closet, grabbed the outfit he set out for today and got dressed.

Once he was ready, Shujinkou walked down a set of stairs and found Sayori happily stuffing her face at the kitchen table.

"Good evening, Shujinkou," his mother, Hiro, soon entered his field of vision and set a plate down at the table. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yeah…" Shujinkou replied as he curiously glanced at Sayori.

"What's wrong?" the fox girl asked.

"N-Nothing," he scratched his cheek as he finished his response in his head. _It's just kinda weird I would dream about our first meeting today of all days._

"Do you think you have time to eat before you leave?" Hiro asked.

"I think I have to take it to go. I'm pretty sure that it's going to be a long walk to the next town."

The young man looked around and noticed the backpack he had prepared for today hanging off the front door. It was a good spot to leave it so there would be no way he could forget it. The only issue was, that wasn't where he left it at.

Shujinkou picked the bag up, surprised by how light it was. He quickly unzipped his backpack to find that it was completely empty.

"What happened to all my stuff?" he wondered aloud.

"Wait… that was your traveling bag?" Sayori quickly averted her gaze as she let out a short nervous chuckle.

"Sayori?"

"I may have gotten hungry around midnight…"

"But… But what about everything else?"

"I don't really remember… I was in a 'blinded by hunger' mindset."

Shujinkou silently stared at Sayori, causing her cheeks to grow red. He knew there was more to her story than she was letting on.

"Guess I'll just have to restock again," the young man walked towards the kitchen table, reached under and pulled out another backpack. "Ready to go."

"You had another bag ready just in case?" Sayori gasped.

"Yep."

"Oh…" Sorrow was on full display on her face as she lowered her head in defeat.

Shujinkou opened the backpack, his eyes widening with shock upon discovering that his backup was filled with books.

"My backup plan failed…" he mumbled under his breath.

A smile crossed his mother's face as she brushed her light brown hair away from her deep blue eyes. "You know, Shujinkou, you still have some time before you're intended departure time. Why don't you and Sayori go and restock your bag?"

"Yeah, okay." Shujinkou pulled the books out of the bag and slung the straps over his shoulder. "You don't mind do you, Sayori?"

Sayori shook her head and eagerly followed Shujinkou through the front door.

"Where to first, Shiko?"

"Um… I guess we should visit Guss's item shop first."

The two walked through their home village and stepped into a small shop. They could hear a jazz-like song behind the door. Pushing it open, they found a bearded man lounging on a lawn chair.

"Guss," Shujinkou called.

The man lifted the sunglasses from over his eyes and turned towards the two.

"Shujinkou. Sayori. I didn't expect to see you two together for awhile," Guss chuckled as he sat up. "What brings you two to my second humble abode?"

Though it was embarrassing to him, Shujinkou answered, "I kind of need a restock of some of the items I got here…"

"What??? Even the backups I lent you?"

"Yeah…"

"Alright."

Guss shrugged and walked behind his counter. "Let's see, a whole bunch of herbs, low wage antidotes and a map. Toss me your bag, little 19-year old dude."

Shujinkou did as he was instructed and watched as Guss quickly stuffed everything in his backpack before tossing it back to him. Despite the speed and seemingly rough approached, everything was neatly organized inside.

_That never stops being impressive._

Shujinkou re-zipped his bag and slung it behind his back. "So, how muc-"

"I told you the first and second time, Shujinkou, I'm not taking your money," Guss interjected. "As many times you've helped me out, I should be paying you."

Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek.

"Do you have Monster Infestation in your home town?"

Shujinkou, Sayori and Guss turned towards the store radio.

"Do you wish to enjoy you day without constantly worrying about monster attacks? Then remember to call Saisei Corporation and subscribe to our security program. We'll keep you safe as we either rid monsters from your home or domesticate monsters for your leisure. Remember to cal-"

Guss violently ripped the radio's cord from the wall. "Damn corporations and their protection rackets! Interrupting my music and me time and spouting such skewed politics!"

Shujinkou glanced at Sayori with a worried look on his face.

"I still get chills whenever I hear their name…" she said.

"Um…" Shujinkou turned his attention back to Guss." Thanks for the stuff Guss. We gotta get going to Althea's place so…"

"Yeah, I get it. Good luck on your journey, Shujinkou."

"Thanks."

Shujinkou hurriedly walked out of the store and Sayori followed.

"I'm not 'domesticated', am I?" she asked.

Shujinkou continued to stare ahead as he answered, "Yes, Sayori, you are."

"Eh?!"

Shujinkou chuckled at her shocked reaction.

"Just kidding, but you already know the answer. You keep asking just to hear it."

"It's reassuring."

Shujinkou simply stared at her.

"It’s nice to hear."

"You're not domesticated; you're my best friend."

A bright smile stretched across Sayori's face until a pig rammed into her. Shujinkou was deprived of every word he ever learned as he watched the pig carry Sayori around. It looked like it was trying to shake her off.

"Dang it! Stop running you swine!"

A young woman, the same age as Shujinkou, stopped running just short of him. She was breathing heavily and looked like she was about to collapse.

"Althea."

The woman raised her finger at him as she continued to try and catch her breath. She sighed before turning towards Shujinkou.

"Hey, Shujinkou. Didn't expect to see you for awhile considering you already gave everyone an emotional goodbye."

"I kinda need to restock…"

"Well, give me a second," Althea turned her gaze towards Sayori and clapped her hands around her mouth. "Sayori, bring em on home!"

"Got it!"

The kitsune girl swiftly wrapped her tail around the pig and flung it into the air. She then stretched her arms forward, catching the animal before it could hit the ground.

"Nice," Althea complimented. "Maybe you could help me around the farm while Shujinkou's gone. Life knows I could use some."

Her eyes lowered, drawing attention to a small baby strapped to her chest.

"Oo, I thought I smelled little Altear," Sayori gushed.

"I swear the animals are taking advantage of me having to pay attention to this little one. Speaking of which…" Althea glanced up at Shujinkou. A knowing smile crossed her face as she said, "Shujinkou make sure you behave yourself out there."

"I'm not going to be doing anything like that…" he awkwardly chuckled.

"You're right. I should be saying that you should be careful about the women out in the world. You have an innocent aura around you and they may try to take advantage of that."

"I seriously doubt I have to worry about any girl problems."

"That's what you think… At least you don't have to worry about the Dark Goddess. That would be the ultimate girl problem."

"Dark Goddess?" Shujinkou asked with a confused look on his face.

"You don't know?"

"No."

"Essentially she's the leader of all monsters and shows up every now and then. I heard there's been more than one, but it's not like people this side of the globe would get concrete information about the topic."

"But she's not around now?"

"From what I heard, there hasn't been any sightings of her. Plus, if she was around, I doubt phrases lime monster infestations and domestication would be thrown around without any issues."

"That's true."

"Dark Goddess…" Sayori had a contemplative look on her face. Her tail wagged back and forward before she suddenly chuckled. "I got nothing."

"Anyway, just follow me guys and I'll get you the things you need," Althea instructed.

The two followed her to her farm on the edge of the village. Once there, Sayori gently placed the pig in its designated pin.

"Alright, here you go," Althea handed Shujinkou a small sack. "There's your third bag of… you know what's inside."

"Thanks, Althea."

He waved goodbye to them and walked out of the farm.

"Wonder how big Altear will get when I get back."

"You think you'll be gone that long…?" Sayori asked.

"I… I don't really know how long I'll be gone."

An awkward atmosphere hung over the two until they eventually made it back home. Hiro was waiting outside with a small present box in her hands.

"What's that, Mom?"

"A gift to commemorate your departure," his mother smiled as she handed the box to him.

He opened the gift and pulled out a metallic gray rectangular object. "What's this?"

"It's something your father carried with him during his past journeys. It was his sword."

"Sword?" the young man couldn't hide his confusion as he stared at his gift.

"Just imagine a sword in your mind." she advised.

"Okay?"

Shujinkou did as he was told and watched the object transform into a sword.

"Whoa! Dad had a magical sword?!"

"Mm-hmm," Hiro nodded.

The young man excitedly raised the sword over his and marveled at it. "Wow… How do I make it go back to normal?"

"Just imagine it."

He did just that and the sword returned to its original shape. "Thanks, Mom."

"Mm." Hiro approached her son and drew him into a gentle embrace. "Have a safe journey."

"I'll try," Shujinkou assured her, hugging her back.

He knew this moment was coming, but it was still hard to actually say goodbye. Even tougher, he had to do it twice.

The moment their embrace ended, Shujinkou turned his attention to Sayori.

"See you when I get back, Sayori," he said.

Sayori sorrowfully stared at Shujinkou before suddenly wrapping her arms around him. "See ya, Shiko…"

Her grip tightened to an increasingly unbearable degree as a single tear crawled down her face.

"S-Sayori…" he winced.

Her grip tightened and tightened, causing a brief cry of pain to leak out. Upon hearing that, Sayori immediately released her grip on him.

"Sorry…" she apologized with a weak chuckle.

"You don't have to apologize," Shujinkou assured her as he scratched his right cheek. Instinctively looking away, he noticed the sky beginning to darken. "Well… I guess it's time for me to go now."

The young man threw the straps of his backpack over his shoulders and waved goodbye. He had to give more goodbyes and waves as before delving into the forest that surrounded his home village.

Various emotions swirled in him as he started his journey. He thought starting his journey at night would help keep any negative emotions at bay, but it didn't work. Already, he was beginning to miss home and wonder if he was ready for what he was starting.

"I wonder if other travelers feel like this when they leave home?" he thought aloud.

As he continued to stroll through the forest, Shujinkou glanced up at the night sky and marveled at the seemingly infinite number of star sprinkled up there. Suddenly, a human shaped figure flew into his view. Sprouting wings and letting out an almost ear-piercing roar, there was only one thing it could be.

"A dragon?!" he exclaimed as the monster swooped down at him.

His mind paralyzed by fear and disbelief, his body instinctively dove out of the way from the dragon's slashing claws, his eyes widening with shock as he watched the winged creature effortlessly cut through the trees like a knife through hot butter.

_I know dragons are supposed to be strong, but this is ridiculous._

The dragon turned around and glared at him. Now able to view the creature closer, Shujinkou was shocked to find tattered clothes wrapped barely covering its feminine attributes. Cuts and bruises were lined across her body and her eyes were as red as a demon's. But despite her glare, he felt like there wasn't anyone really there.

The female dragon roared, causing him to push those thoughts aside. "No choice; have to defend myself!"

Shujinkou quickly reached into pocket and pulled out the metallic rectangular object his mother had given him. "Got to visualize a sword in my mind…"

With a single focused thought, the strange object swiftly transformed into a sword. 

"That's still so cool," Shujinkou marveled.

But he didn't have long to gush as the dragon girl flew towards him again at break-neck speed. With no idea what to do, the young man held his sword in front of him as if it were a shield. The dragon tackled the rookie adventurer, knocking off his feet and into a tree.

Before he could get his wits back, the traveler noticed from the corner of his eyes a fist coming his way and quickly rolled out of the way. As the dragon girl struggled to free her hand, Shujinkou spotted a small square device centered on her neck.

_What's that?_

His curiosity was quickly replaced with admiration and horror as his assailant spew fire out of her mouth. She then turned her attention to him, spewing more fire at the young adventurer. Paralyzed by fear, Shujinkou could do nothing but sit there until something tackled him out of the way.

"Huh?" Surprised, Shujinkou glanced up to discover something even more surprising. "Sayori?!"

"Hey, Shiko," she beamed.

"W-What are you doing here?"

"I'm here because-"

Before she could finish her response, Sayori latched onto Shujinkou and rolled them away from another fiery assault.

"What's a dragon doing down here?" she wondered aloud.

"I don't know," Shujinkou replied. "Dragons don't just wordlessly lash out like a wild animal right?"

"Only when super mad, but that's usually because they're breathing fire by then."

"I thought so."

Sayori suddenly rolled them away from another stream of fire.

"Sayori, do you think you can help me get on her back?" Shujinkou requested.

A giant smile formed on the fox's face. "You bet!"

She then threw him up into the air as the dragon girl flew by and jumped up after him. Once close enough, the excited kitsune grabbed her friend and effortlessly threw him at their attacker.

Clumsily latching on to the girl as she flew through the trees, Shujinkou was beginning to wonder if his plan was a smart one. Despite those doubts, he raised his sword and slammed the hilt on the device, destroying it. With the device gone, the dragon girl immediately lost consciousness and crashed into the ground.

With his assailant subdued, Shujinkou breathed a sigh of relief.

"You okay, Shiko?" Sayori worriedly asked.

"Yeah…" he confirmed.

Suddenly, the dragon girl woke up to find Shujinkou and his sword.

"Human!" she exclaimed.

Her now blue eyes looked at him as if he was the most evil thing in the world.

"Whoa! Whoa!" Sayori quickly jumped in between the two. "He's not going to hurt you."

"But he's a human. With a sword," the dragon girl shot Sayori a perplexed look. It was like she couldn't understand why Sayori was defending him. "Has he domesticated you?"

"Domesticated? I'm not domesticated. We're best friends," Sayori proudly answered.

"Best… Friends?" the dragon shot Sayori a disbelieving look.

"Plus, you attacked Shiko first."

"I did?"

"Yeah."

"I think something was making you lash out," Shujinkou interjected. "But we got rid of it."

"You… You helped me?" the dragon girl asked, perplexed. "Why?"

"Because you looked like you needed help."

The dragon girl blankly stared at Shujinkou before suddenly flying off.

"She just flew off…" Sayori noted.

"Well, at least she's back to normal," Shujinkou accepted. "By the way, Sayori, how long have you been following me?"

"Eh? I wasn't following you! I was just wandering around smelled fire breath!" Sayori stammered.

Shujinkou simply stared her.

"…Pretty much after you left," she admitted. "I know you wanted me to look after Auntie H and everyone while you were gone, but I really didn't want to be left behind. Plus, Auntie H and everyone else gave me their blessings to go ahead."

Sayori anxiously averted her gaze. "You're not mad at me, are you?"

"Mad? Sayori you just saved me from getting singed. Why would I be anything but mad that you’re here? Plus, if everyone is cool that you're here than I'm more than happy to have my best friend come with me," Shujinkou assured her.

Sayori's cheeks grew bright red as a giant smile formed on her face. "Really?"

"Yeah."

Without saying a word, Sayori wrapped her arms around Shujinkou, her grip tightening with each passing second.

"S-Sayori… Monster strength…" he winced.

She immediately released her grip on him and nervously chuckled. "Sorry… So, what should we do know?"

"Well, I guess we should probably set up camp to rest after what just happened," Shujinkou advised.

"Alright, out first camp out outside of town!" Sayori cheered.

He was too exhausted to show it, but Shujinkou was excited too. But at the same time, he wondered why the dragon girl had a device that seemed to strip her of all control. It was strange, but thinking about that brought back the memory of his first encounter with Sayori and the people who were seemingly after her.

_I wonder if something's happening out there in the world._

He felt a sense of foreboding as he looked up at the night sky. A sight that usually filled him with wonder now gave filled him with uncertainty.


	2. Malevolent Influence

The sound of footsteps reverberated through a dimly lit room. Scattered across the room were tubes, each filled with bright liquids of varying colors.

"Lights on."

The room was immediately illuminated by an almost blinding light. A young woman walked into the room; brushing her brown bangs away from her cold, black eyes.

She snuck a quick glance at each of the tubes as she walked across the room. All her experiments were still unconscious. Mentally checking off each one, it appeared that it would be the usual passing by that was part of her usual schedule.

However, just as she was about to exit the room, she caught a glimpse of an empty tube.

"The dragon's power must have not been up to snuff. Or perhaps she killed herself," she theorized.

She adjusted her glasses with one hand as she reached into her coat jacket with the other. She pulled out her phone and opened her tracking application.

As she expected, there was no signal.

"Perhaps someone killed her," she said, calmly stuffing her phone back into her pocket. "I'll have to submit an order to acquire another. Perhaps a male dragon this time to compare data."

With that idea in mind, the young woman left the room, leaving the lights to slowly turn off without her command.

…

"Faster! Faster!" Sayori cheered.

Shujinkou calmly drunk more and more of his milkshake as he watched Sayori happily ride a familiar stallion throughout the village's stable.

"She's still going at it?"

Standing beside him was Althea's boyfriend, Lee. He was 2 years older than him and had messy black hair with matching eyes.

"At this rate, Betty will have to ride me all the way home," he laughed; though it slowly devolved into a fearful realization that he may actually have to do that at the rate things where going. "By the way, I thought you were going to travel around alone."

"Things kinda changed," Shujinkou replied, awkwardly scratching his right cheek.

"She followed you, huh?"

"Mm-hmm."

Lee let out a hearty laugh. It's as if he knew that Sayori following him was going to happen. It seemed like Lee was going to laugh for the rest of the day until he forcibly stifled it.

"Why'd you decide to travel the world again?" he asked. "Is it like some sort of hero's journey?"

"Not really, I just always wanted to see what the world was like," Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. "Besides I'm not really the type of person to become a hero. I don't even really know if the world even needs one."

"Well, I guess if you were going on a hero's journey, you would have at least brought a sword or a gun with you."

"Well, I do kinda have a sword."

"You do? Where?"

Shujinkou dug into his pocket and pulled out the mysterious rectangular shaped object he had received from his mother.

Disappointment was plastered across Lee's face."Um, that's not a sword."

Without saying a word, Shujinkou thrust the object towards the sky and pictured a sword in his mind. Once the image was clear, it quickly took the form of a sword.

"Whoa! How'd you do that?" Lee exclaimed.

"All I have to do is imagine a sword and this thing turns into one," Shujinkou explained.

"Wow. Sayori has Mooey and a crystal necklace and you now have a magical sword. You sure you're not going on a hero's journey?"

"It's just for self-defense," the sword shrunk back to its original shape and Shujinkou stuffed it back into his pocket. "I'm just travelling around."

Lee shrugged and turned his attention to Sayori. "So… Is Sayori's hometown one of the places you're planning on going to?"

"Sayori's hometown?"

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. The thought honestly never crossed his mind. If he ever stumbled across the place his friend came from without her… Would she had been mad or would she not have cared?

But even with Sayori now by his side, it doesn't change the fact that he doesn't even know where she came from.

There was also the fact that locations where monsters live are hidden from public, or at least the human public. Only other monsters know where they are and Sayori is unable to recall if she herself ever had such knowledge.

Shujinkou glanced towards his friend. Like always, she was wearing a bright smile on her face.

_She's never really complained about it, but I'm sure Sayori wants to know where she came from. But… I don't really know where to find any info. I know things aren't good between humans and monsters, at least I heard it wasn't and the girl I ran into last night kind of confirms that, but there has to be some that wouldn't mind sharing that info._

_… Unless it's a secret they've sworn not to tell any human._

"What are you thinking about, Shiko?"

"Huh?" upon returning back from his thoughts, Shujinkou was immediately greeted with the sight of Sayori's blue eyes staring into his. Normally he would be startled by her being so close to him while he was deep in thought, but the subject he contemplated nullified that reaction.

"Um… Well… It's nothing- Well…"

He truly didn't know what to say at that point.

"Eh? Were you really going to say that whatever you were thinking wasn't important?"

Hearing that unfamiliar voice sent shivers down Shujinkou's spine. It didn't sound threatening, in fact, it sounded cheerful and yet something about it greatly unnerved him.

Slowly and cautiously, Shujinkou turned around. Standing a few feet away from him was a young girl with shamrock green hair.

Just looking into her matching eyes filled the young man with a variety of conflicting emotions. She didn't look any older than someone who just started high school and the smile that sat on her youthful face gave a sense of innocence. However, Shujinkou could tell something was off her innocence; the red hair band with two small horns protruding from the top sat snug on the top of her head accentuating that notion.

"It really did look like you were thinking about something important, Shujinkou," the girl continued.

"Huh? How do you know my name?" Shujinkou asked, perplexed.

He was sure he never met this girl before and yet she somehow knew his name.

"I know a lot of things. You're name just happens to be one of them," she giggled. "Do you want to know my name?"

Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek. The unsettling feeling affecting him grew the longer he was in the stranger's presence.

"Hm? Aren't you curious about the girl that knows your name?" she asked.

"Uhm…"

"I'll tell you anyway. My name's Maliza. But you can call me Mali."

"Mali?" that name seemed oddly nostalgic to Shujinkou.

"That's right. I've been waiting for you to leave that village of yours. Now the fun can begin."

His building anxiety shot up as Mali leaned forward and giggled. Her eyes briefly flashed a blinding light.

"There. Taken care of," she said with a satisfied smile.

"Huh?"

"Look behind you."

Doing as he was instructed, Shujinkou was horrified to find his friends now made of stone.

"Sayori! Lee!" he cried.

"Now no one can interfere," she giggled.

Shujinkou immediately turned his attention back to Mali. He knew he should be angry, but something was preventing him from letting that emotion take control.

"What are you talking about?" he questioned.

"It's simple. I want you to fight me."

A voice in Shujinkou's head screamed how terrible an idea that would be.

"If you don't then your friends will forever be stone," she brightly added.

"…Alright…"

Shujinkou pulled his going away gift from his pocket and used his thoughts to transform it into a sword. He wasn't confident that he would be able to defeat her, but he had to try.

"Oh, you can use Imajitekku as a sword," Mali praised.

Shujinkou's felt his entire body relax with surprise. "Imajitekku?"

"I told you that I know a lot of things. Kind of sad that the owner doesn't know the name of his own tool though."

_It's not like I was told what it was called…_

Mali cheerfully spread her arms open. "Okay, take your best shot!"

A droplet of sweat crawled down Shujinkou's face. If he attacked Mali right now, he was sure she would be hurt at best, dead at worst. But hesitation wasn't the only thing that prevented him from taking advantage of her gesture. Besides knowing to never take an opponent's invitation for a free shot, he also felt a strange pressure weigh down on him. It was almost suffocating.

"You don't want to take the first shot?" Mali lowered her arms and smiled. "Then shall I make the first move?"

A hand suddenly gripped Shujinkou's sword and jerked it to his right. He was shocked to suddenly find that he was now face to face with Mali.

_I didn't even see her move._

"Surprised?" she asked. "What are you going to do now?"

Shujinkou glanced down at the fingers wrapped around the blade of his sword. Despite gripping it tightly, there was no blood.

"Oh, I didn't know Shujinkou was going to be so passive with a sword," Mali noted.

She effortlessly lifted the young man in the air then threw him into a nearby tree.

_S-She's strong…_

Mali casually approached Shujinkou, each step she took weighing heavily on Shujinkou's heart. She raised her right hand towards him, helplessly watching Imajitekku fly out of his hands and into hers.

"You really don't know how to use this, don't you?" she snickered.

Mali thrust the sword forward. Shujinkou closed his eyes expecting the blade to piece his heart, but that never came to pass. He slowly opened his eyes to discover the tip of the blade pressing against his chest.

"Imajitekku doesn't hurt things if you don't want it to, you know," Mali explained.

The sword then returned to its original rectangular shape.

"Sword, huh? Are you going on a hero's journey or something, Shujinkou?" Mali asked.

"N-No…" he weakly answered.

"Really? Then why a sword?"

"Because I was given a sword to protect myself with."

Mali simply stared at Shujinkou. For a moment, she seemed genuinely surprised. "You're so blind, Shujinkou."

She casually passed Imajitekku back to Shujinkou before plopping herself on his lap.

"This wasn't really as fun as I hoped," Mali's left index finger playfully glided across his chest before circling where his heart would be. "Tell me, what's to stop me from killing you right here for ruining things for me?"

Fear gripped Shujinkou's heart. Such a young girl casually talking about killing him was horrifying. Making it even scarier was just from their brief exchange, he knew doing so would be all too easy for her to do.

"Just kidding!" she brightly said. "We're not at that point yet."

"Auuuu…"

"Still, you need to level up a lot before you're anywhere near fun. But to do that you would need to actually know what you're going to do with yourself."

Finally finding the strength to talk, Shujinkou asked, "What are you talking about?"

"What's the point of leaving home anyway? Going to see someone or visit someplace in particular?"

"I-I just wanted to see the world."

"A simple traveler? That's sounds way too boring a motivation for you."

Mali glanced at Sayori.

"What about your friend? Aren't you the least bit curious why she was being chased by super suspicious people or where she came from? That would be a cooler motivation."

"I'm curious, but-"

"Then again, you were really going to travel the world without your best friend even though it was possible that you may have found where she came from. What were you going to do if that happened; send her a post card? Maybe a call?"

Those words weighed heavy on Shujinkou's heart. He just thought about how he never considered that, but hearing it from Mali made him feel even more guilt than he was beginning to feel just moments ago.

"I can see why you're not on a hero's journey. A hero would have considered what effect his actions would have on his friends. May still do the things they were thinking about, but would have at least considered."

_I really do suck, don't I?_

The small girl giggled. "Well, it looks like you know what you need to do. That just leaves the question of how, right?"

Mali raised her right index finger and tapped Shujinkou's forehead."Maybe now you won't be as blind as before."

Shujinkou gently rubbed his forehead as Mali sat up.

"Good luck, Shujinkou. You're one of the people I'm rooting for."

She cheerfully waved goodbye before vanishing from sight.

"How-?"

"Shiko!"

Sayori suddenly landed in front of Shujinkou.

"What happened? How'd you get over here?" she asked.

The young man immediately averted his gaze. He was glad that she was alright, but he couldn't bring himself to face her.


	3. Fantastically Meta Consequences

"Where am I now?"

Shujinkou looked around. It appeared that he had landed in the courtyard of a gothic castle.

The sky above him blood red which, to him at least matched the oppressive and foreboding atmosphere that attacked him the moment he arrived.

"I kinda hope Monika didn't end up here. Doesn't seem like a fun part of this world to be blown away to." He thought aloud.

"Wow, another interesting surprise."

A sharp chill crawled up Shujinkou's spine as he heard that voice. It sounded familiar, but also much more menacing then he was used to.

Suddenly, a figure crashed into the ground in front of him; the impact creating such a force that he was surprised he wasn't blown away by it.

"Even more surprising is that it's you of all people."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as she watched the figure rise to her feet, giving him a chance to see a familiar innocent-looking face.

"Mali?"

The girl simply circled around Shujinkou; her eyes examining every inch of him.

"Hm… You don't seem like the person I know…"

She then stopped right in front of him and stood on the tip of her toes. Her face slowly approaching his own reminded Shujinkou of when she did it to him in the past.

_At least, another version of her did. Something about this Mali is scarier than the one I know._

That budding fear grew as a smile stretched across Mali's face. "Your name's Shujinkou, right?"

The young man nodded his head."Y-Yeah."

Unlike him being tricked to reveal information as per usual with the Mali he knew; Shujinkou felt compelled to give this one a quick and honest answer.

Just looking into her eyes allowed him to realize what she may do if he tried to lie.

Mali giggled at his nervous face."Another 'protagonist' out of nowhere. And not just out of nowhere, but the same way that that girl did."

"Girl?" Any fear Shujinkou disappeared once he heard that. "Did she wear a uniform that looked like mine?"

"Mm-hmm. Were you looking for her or something?"

"Yeah. Do you know where she now?"

"Yep."

Innocence radiated from Mali's face as she turned around and thrust her hand forward. With a simple flick of the wrist, she summoned a tall column of pure darkness.

"She's in there. You two are lucky that I was the one who found you; who knows what the Boss' would have done."

Giggling one more time, Mali took the opportunity to sneak a glance at Shujinkou's horrified face before quickly disappearing.

Shujinkou dashed forward, extending his hand towards the darkness.

"Monika!"

Shujinkou quickly sat up. His heart was racing as he was greeted by the olden rays of the sun.

_What was that?_

The young man scratched his right cheek. It had to be a dream and yet it somehow felt like he was actual living that moment.

_Mali probably just left a worse impression than I thought she did._

Just recalling that meeting with the small girl from yesterday was enough to make him shiver.

"You okay, Shiko?"

Suddenly, Sayori dropped in front of him. The last time he looked into her eyes, he felt guilt; however, now he felt most of the guilt was gone. He didn't find a way to deal with Mali's words and yet they no longer held the full impact they did yesterday.

"Shiko?"

"Huh? Um, yeah; I'm okay."

"That's good. You've been sulking around ever since Mali showed up yesterday."

Hearing his friend recall the events of the day before caused the guilt to return, immediately weighing down on his heart.

"Yeah, about that…" Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek. "I'm sorry that I didn't think about bringing you along in the first place."

"Eh? Where did that come from?" Sayori asked, perplexed.

"Um…"

"Is that what you were sulking about the entire time?"

"Y-Yeah."

"Why?"

Shujinkou continued to scratch his right cheek as he forced himself to answer. "Well… I'm travelling the world and could have stumbled across your home without you."

"Shiko… I didn't care that that could have happened while you were gone."

"Really? But wasn't that the reason why you followed me in the first place? Why you didn't want to be left behind?"

"No…" Sayori's cheeks grew red. "I just didn't want to be left alone again."

"Sayori… AH!"

Shujinkou quickly cradled his head as it was assaulted by a sharp pain. His body twisted and turned in pain while his mind witnessed a plethora of events.

For some reason, he was in these strange moments. He was sure he never experienced these before ad yet they seemed familiar somehow.

It became harder and harder for Shujinkou to stay conscious as the witnessed more and more.

"What's… happening?"

The pain soon reaching its zenith, Shujinkou howled as he plummeted towards the ground. Too weak to even fight the pain, his consciousness soon faded.

…

The Moon, a large spherical object that traversed the infinite reaches of space alongside the much larger planet known as Earth. A long time ago, humanity viewed the lunar object that appeared once the sun dove beneath the horizon, but now, humanity views their old home from such a spot.

No one really remembers what events could have transpired to have force what remained of Earth's inhabitants to abandon it for the moon, but at the same time no seemed to care. Everyone was content with the life they have built; everyone except for one young man. His name was Shujinkou, whose goal in life was to uncover the secrets of the past.

"Oh man…"

Shujinkou heaved a sigh of disappointment as he strolled through Luna City. Despite his best attempts, he could not help but feel disappointed by his recent progress. He knew he should be proud he made any progress at all, especially after figuring out that the lunar government was adverse to anyone discovering the event that led to Earth's abandonment. But ever since then he had no luck in finding any more information.

Perhaps they were on to him and actively searched for any leaks or perhaps those that did know felt the same. Perhaps everyone but him wanted to truly forget humanity's time on Earth.

But just as he was about to give up, a slim file folder slid in front of his feet. His natural curiosity spurring him on, Shujinkou bent down on one knee, picked the file up and opened it.

His eyes widened with surprise as his eyes darted up and down the pages he was just given. Inside was everything he was looking for. All he had to do was…

"Ow! What the-?!"

A sharp pain surged from the back of his head to the rest of his body, causing the world around him to distort and crumble. Trying to make sense of what was happening; he blinked his eyes until he found Sayori and Monika standing in front of his desk.

"What the-?!" Shujinkou opened his eyes to find Sayori and Monika standing in front of his desk. They looked surprise. "What's going on?"

Suddenly, a hand slammed a rolled-up poster in front of him with such force he almost jumped up from his seat. Shujinkou nervously looked up to find Natsuki standing right next to him. Her face did not even bother to hide her disapproval of his recent action.

"You know, if all you're going to do is sleep every day, then you might as well go home," she scowled.

Words failed Shujinkou as he watched Natsuki return to the classroom closet. But even if they hadn't, he didn't believe that he would have said anything back to her anyway. He knew deep down that she had a right to be mad that all he was doing was daydreaming during a club meeting. All he could manage to do was do what he had always done, awkwardly scratch his right cheek.

"I bet you were up all night again," Sayori playfully chastised.

He didn't know how, but her playful nature almost always had a tendency to lighten up his mood.

"Like you're one to talk when it comes to sleep," Shujinkou chuckled. "Besides I wasn't asleep. I was just thinking." 

"I never seen a person so detached from reality like you when they're thinking," Monkia giggled. "We couldn't get any kind of response out of you until Natsuki got involved."

Most people would laugh at someone getting hit in the head with a rolled-up poster, but Monika's made it clear that it wasn't malicious at all. It was expected from the person everyone in the school likes and admires.

"Did you need me for something?" Shujinkou asked.

"It's not an emergency or anything. I was just telling everyone that they should bring in their favorite books to share tomorrow," Monika informed him.

"O-Okay…" Shujinkou nervously nodded his head.

He waited until the two traversed to the teacher's desk before letting out a depressed sigh. Despite Monika's assurance, it certainly felt like an emergency to him. Brining in something to share wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't for the fact that all he had at home to share was manga. He was sure everyone would look down on him for brining in something where a story was half told with pictures.

He sighed once again until a strange feeling suddenly came over him. For some unorthodox reason, it felt like he was being watched. Slowly turning his head to his left, Shujinkou soon met eyes with Yuri.

She immediately turned her attention back to the book nested between her hands, but it was clear as day that she was not really focused on reading.

"Did you need something, Yuri?" Shujinkou asked.

"Ah… it's just that I overheard your conversation… N-Not that I was purposely eavesdropping!" Yuri stammered. She once again quickly averted her gaze and timidly began playing with her hair. A painfully awkward atmosphere wasted no time in shrouding the two of them.

"Well, it's not that I can blame you for overhearing. You are right next to me after all," Shujinkou pointed out as he scratched his right cheek.

He wasn't entirely sure whether he was saying that to assure her she did no wrong, break through the awkward silence or both. But whatever the reason, it was enough to get her to look him in the eyes again.

"…You don't seem too eager about tomorrow."

"Well, it's just that I don't have anything to bring in tomorrow…"

Shujinkou solemnly glanced down at the top of his desk with downcast eyes. He had just recently joined the club and was already going to be ousted as someone who'd never join in the first place. All he could feel was guilt and disappointment, something that didn't escape Yuri's sight. She could tell just from the look on his face exactly how he felt.

"I-I can…" Despite struggling to speak at a barely audible level, she was still able to recapture Shujinkou's attention. "I could help you find a book for tomorrow… if you want."

"Really?" Shujinkou's eyes lit up with hope. "That'd be great!"

"I don't think that it would be that great for **you** though."

"Huh?"

The world around Shujinkou quickly dissipated, leaving the young man in a peerless white void. "What just happened?"

"I kinda have the same question."

Hearing a voice in a place he assumed he was alone in caused a small squeal to slip out of him. He quickly turned around and found Monika giggling behind him.

"You- You're Monika, right?"

"Mm-hmm. I'm glad you weren’t lost to briefly living another life."

"Another life? What do you mean?"

"It's kind of a long and really meta explanation. Honestly, I didn't even think you were the one having trouble. I thought something may have gone wrong for a friend but apparently you were the one who needed help.

Perhaps because the conclusion to recent events happened in this st- reality."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. He wasn't really sure what the stranger in front of him was saying.

_Stranger? But… Didn't I just say her name? It was… It was…_

"No need to freak out, Shujinkou. I'm just making it so your story can be a little more stable," Monika assured him. "After all, we wouldn't want any outside forces to really mess with it so early in its infancy."

"S-Story…?"

He couldn't really understand why the stranger used such a word in her explanation nor could he understand why it was the first thing she said to him. 

"Though admittedly, my track record of doing this with the one I know is pretty poor," the stranger admitted. "Hopefully doing this for more altruistic reasons will yield a better result."

"A better… what…?"

"You don't worry. Just know that I can send you back home right away."

"Home…?"

"Mm-hmm. In fact I can make it so everything goes back to normal for you after I finish this sentence."

Shujinkou jolted out of a bed, his heart beating so hard that he felt it could easily burst through his chest. Taking deep breathes; the young man took a moment to observe his current surroundings.

To his surprise and confusion, he was in his bedroom.

Soon after that revelation, his bedroom door opened and his mother walked in.

"Ah, you're awake, Shujinkou," she said with a relieved smile.

"Mom? What am I doing back home?" he asked.

"You passed out and Sayori carried you all the way back here."

"Oh…" Shujinkou sighed as he slumped down on his bed. "Attacked by dragon controlled by something, Mali and then fainting and ending back home… This has to be the worst departure of any prospective traveler."

"Well… I could tell you what my mother told me when it came to travelling."

"What's that?"

"It's not about the beginning, but the journey."

"What? I thought it was it isn't about the destination."

"It could be about the beginning too. No one usually talks about how hard the beginning can be like financial issues and learning the lay of the land and just overall lack of experience. Along with life just being unpredictable, the beginning can be extremely difficult for some people."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he took in Hiro's words. He never considered some parts of his journey being hard, but not the beginning.

"Hey, Mom, can I ask you a question?"

"Is it about whether you should have taken Sayori along with you or not?"

Once again, Shujinkou felt nothing but surprise and confusion.

"Sayori told me that you asked her that," Hiro explained.

"Oh… So…"

"I honestly think you may be over thinking things a little."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for example, if Sayori really wanted to see her birthplace so much, she would have left a long time ago. Like Sayori had told you, she didn't follow you for that reason."

"So you're saying that I shouldn't feel bad?"

"Well, I can't control how you feel, but I can tell you that you shouldn't obsess over it. If you really do feel like you wronged Sayori, then you should do something about it. But if the person you feel like you have wronged insists that you haven't then it may cause a bit of a conflict if you don't accept that.

Besides, I don't think Sayori would like you to ask her to come with you out of obligation."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek and admitted, "That's true."

He then glanced at his window. Seeing the starry night sky filled him with delight and excitement for the first time in 24 hours.

"Ready to leave again?" Hiro asked.

"Yeah. I can't let a tough beginning keep me from the journey, right?"

Hiro happily nodded her head in agreement. "In that case, I'm glad I left you're things next to the front door."

"Thanks, Mom."

Shujinkou dashed downstairs; there he found Sayori finishing a plate of food.

"Sayori."

The young kitsune ears perked up as she turned around.

"Shiko, you're awake!" she beamed.

"Yeah, um… Thanks for bringing me back here."

"No problem, though I was kind of worried that you'd be upset that you had to depart from home again…"

"No, I'm not. It was a good thing."

Shujinkou awkwardly scratched his right cheek, wondering if he should say more.

_Then again I think everything's already been said._

"Shiko?"

Shujinkou shook his head and simply smiled. "So… You ready to leave?"

"Eh? You're leaving again already?" Sayori exclaimed.

"Yeah, we do a whole world to see after all."

A big, bright smile stretched across Sayori's face. "Alright, let's go!"


	4. Second Start

"Are we at the village yet, Shiko?" Sayori asked.

"Almost," Shujinkou answered, his eyes glued to the map between his hands.

The image of a cartoon cat was still seemingly marked a location beyond the village they were currently heading to.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. He was sure that it wasn't there when he first received the map and yet there it was when he took another look at it before his second departure.

-Several Hours Earlier-

"So where should we go first this time, Shiko?" Sayori asked.

Shujinkou turned toward the front door of his home. Hanging on the doorknob was his backpack.

"That's a good question."

Shujinkou dug into his backpack and pulled out his map. _Huh?_

His eyes were immediately drawn to a cartoonish cat sitting on the southeastern edge of the continent.

“Hey Sayori, did you mark the map?” he asked.

Sayori shook her head. “No. Why?”

“There’s a cat on it.”

Sayori jumped out of her seat, curious as to what Shujinkou was talking about.

“Where?” she asked.

“Right here.” Shujinkou pointed to the cat shaped mark on the map.

“Where?”

“Here.”

Sayori squinted her eyes. “I don’t see a cat.”

“What?”

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek, wondering why his friend couldn’t see something that was as plain as day.

“Something wrong?”

Hiro walked downstairs, curious about the confused comments the two were making.

“Hey Mom, do you see a cat on this map?” Shujinkou asked.

Hiro took a look at the map. “No.”

Shujinkou once again scratched his right cheek. _Am I just seeing things?_

Soon after that thought, Shujinkou recalled his encounter with Mali. After she effortlessly subdued him and mocked his goals, she tapped his forehead.

“Maybe now you won’t be as blind as before,” she said with an innocent smile.

_Did Mali do this to me?_

He then recalled her voicing her expectations of him becoming stronger.

_Stronger…_

Shujinkou pulled his metallic departing gift from his pocket; transforming it into a sword.

“Mali called Dad’s sword Imajitekku,” he said. "Did he ever call it that?"

"I never heard him call it that," Hiro said. "Though Jomei was one for keeping some things to himself…"

Shujinkou willed the sword back to his original shape. "But she didn't just call it that; she showed me she knew how it works… But why would she know about Dad's sword?"

-Present Day-

That very question continued to plague Shujinkou. Despite the minimal time he spent around her, he could believe that she would possess the ability to make him see things.

It was clear to Shujinkou that Mali was clearly trying to lead him somewhere.

Part of him was to not go to the place Mali wanted him to go while another part of him felt like he had no choice. She had already proved to him that she could kill him without effort and going against her could be hazardous to his health.

But there was something else that compelled him to explore this new location. A young-looking girl somehow knew how to use his father's sword; his desire to know why as the major reason why he was going.

_Plus, I'm travelling the world. I was going to go there anyway… right?_

Shujinkou sighed. Even though his mother inspired him to survive through the potential tough start of any traveler, he wasn't sure that it involved the situation he was currently in. 

_I feel like the freedom of choice was taken from me…_

Shujinkou watched Sayori jumped across the branches above him. The carefree expression on her face greatly contrasted his dour one.

He was worried about her coming along, even devising a plan to return home to so she could join him afterwards, but he knew that would be pointless.

_Really hope nothing bad happens wherever we're going._

Shujinkou stopped and sighed once more. Even with all the factors regarding his situation, he still felt like he was doing something stupid.

Mindlessly examining his environment, Shujinkou caught a glimpse of a nearby bush shake for a moment.

_Huh?_

Shujinkou just stood there. He felt as if the physical proof that he was doing something stupid was about to reveal itself, but nothing like that never came.

Suddenly, two squirrels came dashing out of the bush. Running past him, they climbed a tree and disappeared from sight.

_That doesn't really calm me down…_

"Guess who?"

Shujinkou's line of sight was abruptly covered by darkness as something heavy weighed on him back. The force of whatever latched on to him already nearly caused him to fall forward; now it was threatening to drag him down backwards.

"Sayori-!"

"You got it!" a bright voice replied.

Light quickly returned to Shujinkou eyes and Sayori dropped from his back. "What're you doing, Shiko? You're falling behind."

"Sorry."

"You weren’t pouting again, were you?"

"Kinda. But I'm mostly just wondering…"

"Stop pouting!" Sayori chastised him, puffing her cheeks. "It's not like it's going to help."

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. "Sayori, I was threatened to be killed and you were turned to stone. Also, we’re going to a place the person who did both things told us to go."

A defeated look rested on Sayori's face. "Well, there's reason to pout… But you still shouldn't pout. You’re finally starting the journey you wanted.”

“For the second time,” Shujinkou chucked.

Even if she didn’t give a good argument, he always appreciated the sincerity of her attempts cheer him up. It could be said that the attempts themselves were what really cheered him up.

…

Shujinkou and Sayori continued their trek until they arrived at the village on that map.

Sayori looked around, confused by the setting they found themselves in. “Is this the right place?”

Shujinkou anxiously scratched his right cheek. “It has to be.”

“But there’s no one here.”

No matter where they looked, there wasn’t a single person to be found.

_Did Mali do this? Or is this just a ghost town?_

The buildings around them didn’t look decrypt. In fact, they appear to have been occupied not too long ago.

_Plus, I haven’t heard anything about there being a ghost town so close to home._

Shujinkou continued to ponder the current state of the village until the two travelers heard a loud sound in the distance.

Suddenly, they watched something fly through one of the building before smashing through another one.

Shujinkou and Sayori rushed to the site of the crash. Lying before them was a girl with cat-like ears and a pink tail.

"Natsuki!?"

"Natsuki?" Sayori stared at Shujinkou with confused eyes. "Have you met her before?"

Shujinkou shook his head. "No, but…"

For some reason he couldn't fathom, beholding a girl that looked no older than Mali with bright pink hair and red ribbons tying part of it into two small ponytails on both sides of her head was familiar to him.

Despite not knowing why, he was sure that her name really was Natsuki.

His confusion was quickly replaced with worry when he finally took notice of the cuts and bruises she was covered in.

_Who did this?_

As if on cue, the two felt the earth shake beneath them. It felt like something was stomping towards them.

They turned around and found a robot slowly approaching them. They could only look on in shock as they watched the mechanical figure taller than the buildings stomp towards them.

"I think I just got my answer…" he weakly thought aloud.

The singular red eye that sat atop flickered and its head slowly turned towards Sayori.

"Uh…"

The robot thrust its fist towards Sayori. Unlike its earlier slow movements, its punch was faster than Shujinkou could comprehend. By the time he realized it attacked, its metallic hand was already wedged in the ground.

"Sayori!" he cried.

"Up here!"

Shujinkou quickly looked up, sighing in relief once he found Sayori on the rooftop above him.

That comfort would no last as the root freed its hand form the ground and dragged it upwards as it reached for Sayori.

Its constant reaching for its slippery prey caused pieces of the house to drop down.

Shujinkou quickly dug into his pocket, but his drawing of his weapon was interrupted the moment his eyes caught notice of rubble close to falling on top of the unconscious cat girl.

Moving purely on instinct, Shujinkou dove into the house grabbed Natsuki and carried her out of the collapsing house.

"That was close…" he sighed.

Shujinkou turned his attention back to the chase in front of him. Sayori continued to dart around the robot until it finally caught her with both hands.

Sayori cried in pain as the robot tightened its grip.

Shujinkou quickly laid Natsuki on the ground and drew his weapon. With a single thought, he transformed it into a sword and charged at the robotic enemy. He jumped up; barley reaching its arms, Shujinkou swung down with all his might.

His sword slightly cut into the robot's left arm.

Seemingly responding to his attack, the robot violently vibrated its arm, shaking Shujinkou off. It then used it's now free arm to throw Shujinkou into a nearby building. 

"Shiko!" Sayori cried.

She tried to struggle out of her captor's grip, but that only served to prompt the robot to tighten its grip even more.

Shujinkou stumbled out of the building he was thrown into. His body ached all over and each step he took caused the pain to surge.

He wasn't even sure how he was walking right now, but he didn't have time to worry about that.

_But how am I even going to save her? I couldn't even do anything on my first try._

Shujinkou shook those doubts out of his head and glared at the cut on the robot's left arm.

_Just gotta keep attacking that!_

Shujinkou gripped the hilt of his sword and prepared to attack.

_Now!_

The robot was immediately knocked off its feet. Shujinkou could only stare in awe from what he just saw. The previously unconscious Natsuki charged at the robot and rammed into it to like a beast possessed.

The force of the impact lessened the robot's grip on Sayori, allowing her to escape as Natsuki jumped on top of the fallen robot.

In her hands was a sizeable axe. She raised it over her head and swung it down.

Unlike the shallow cut it took all Shujinkou's might to make, Natsuki was leaving wounds as she slammed her axe down on the robot over and over again.

She continued this action, chopping off the arms and legs from its body. She raised her axe above her head one final time, her eyes locked on the robot's singular red one.

With one final swing, she brought her axe crashing down on the robot's eye, watching it flicker before eventually losing all color.

"Whoa…" Shujinkou marveled.

That was all Shujinkou could manage to say.

Suddenly, Natsuki started to wobble on top of the dead machine. She drifted off the side and collapsed on the ground below.

"H-Hey, are you okay!"

Shujinkou hobbled towards Natsuki. Once again, he found her unconscious.


	5. Lucky Breaks

"You think she's okay…?"

"I mean, it doesn't seem like she's… she doesn't seem she got really hurt."

"But she's been asleep for hours! Do you think she'll wake up?"

Those voices were the first thing Natsuki heard when she woke up. Slowly opening her eyes, she was soon greeted with the faces of Shujinkou and Sayori looking down at her.

The kitsune smiled at the disoriented stranger. "You finally up, Natsuki."

"Huh?" Surprise landed on the young neko and she quickly sat up. "How do you guys know my name?"

"So you're name **is** Natsuki," Sayori turned towards Shujinkou and asked, "How'd you guess that again, Shiko?"

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. He honestly had no idea how he knew the name of a perfect stranger.

"I don't know. I just knew," he answered.

Natsuki shot an annoyed glare at Shujinkou. He couldn't exactly blame her; he knew what it was like to have a complete stranger knowing your name.

"Anyway, you sure saved us from that robot," Shujinkou thanked.

An inquisitive look soon replaced Natsuki's annoyed glare. "You two were around for that?"

"Yeah," Sayori chimed in. "We were looking around until you came flying through a building, then the robot attacked us, then you got back up and defeated it before falling asleep for hours. "

Natsuki looked around. She was currently in what looked like a normal bedroom. She took note of her axe leaning against a nearby table then turned her attention back to Shujinkou.

The young man anxiously scratched his right cheek. It looked like she was about to yell at him. 

"You… You're human, right?" Natsuki asked.

Shujinkou awkwardly nodded his head. "Y-Yeah. I am."

Natsuki continued to stare at Shujinkou until she suddenly reached for her axe. She then jumped towards the bedroom window and turned back Shujinkou one more time.

Though she still seemed annoyed, Shujinkou noticed a hint of confusion and uncertainty in her eyes.

Without saying a word, Natsuki jumped out of the window, disappearing into the night.

"That's the third person we met that just came and went," Sayori noted.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek. Natsuki's reaction was similar to the female dragon he had met when he first departed.

"Hey, Sayori… Do you think every monster is wary of humans like that?" he asked.

"Um… I don't know. I can't even remember how my home told us how to deal with humans."

"Oh right… Sorry about that."

"Ah! I'm not upset; I was pretty much saying that I wouldn't know!" Sayori hastily assured him. "Anyway, we should get going too right?"

"That's true."

He didn't how it came to be this way, but it was clear to him that the village they were in was truly empty.

_I feel bad for the people who live in the houses that robot destroyed._

Thinking back on it, Shujinkou began to wonder what led to Natsuki fighting a robot in the first place.

_Not to mention that it also went for Sayori too…_

"Ah! I just realized something!"

Shujinkou glanced at the surprised Sayori. Her face grew red with embarrassment as she copied his cheek scratching tic.

"I just remembered that I can use my nose to see if anyone is here," she admitted. "Think I should do it?"

"Well… If there is someone here, they probably heard the whole robot thing, so we should at least tell them that everything's fine."

"Okay!"

Sayori closed her eyes. She centered all of her focus towards her nose and took a whiff.

"I smell someone nearby…" she said.

"Is it someone who lives here or do you think it's Natsuki?" Shujinkou asked.

"Wait… I smell someone farther away too…"

Sayori immediately opened her eyes.

"I smell a lot of people far away coming here quickly!" she gasped.

Before Shujinkou could question her, the two heard something in the distance. They looked out of the window and watched several helicopters flying along the starry night sky.

The air vehicles landed near the entrance of the village. Several armed men jumped out of the vehicles and swiftly approached the robot Natsuki had beaten.

Shujinkou scratched his right cheek as he followed the movements of the visitors. All of them were wearing dark full body armor and their guns looked very advanced.

_Something about them seems familiar…_

As he continued to watch them move about, Shujinkou finally understood why their appearance seemed so familiar.

**-Several Years Ago-**

He recalled the night he had met Sayori. He was shocked by her sudden appearance but quickly put that aside the moment he watched several figures repel down the cliff wall next to them.

The young Shujinkou picked the unconscious fox girl and ran into the forest that surrounded his home.

"Hang on. I'll get you somewhere safe and get you some help," he promised her.

He had planned to run straight home until a red beam of light flew past his right cheek.

Fear quickly built up in Shujinkou as he turned around. He couldn't see anyone, but he could hear at what sounded like two grown men yelling at each other.

"What the hell, man!? Are you trying to give our position away?!"

"Like you're yelling isn't doing that?! I heard something over there!"

Shujinkou quickly dropped to his knees and silently moved into a nearby bush. He tightly held the unconscious Sayori against his chest and he peeked out from their hiding spot.

A droplet of sweat crawled down his face as he watched two armored men walk by. They waved their guns around as they slowly searched the area.

He thought they would eventually find them, but they never approached their hiding spot.

Shujinkou breathed a sigh of relief and prepared to make another run for it.

"See anything yet?"

"Hold on!"

A shiver crawled down Shujinkou's spine as he watched a gun enter the bush from the corner of his eye.

Fear quickly seized control of his body as it slowly approached him. He didn't know why they were chasing a little girl, but he was sure that nothing good would happen to them if they were caught.

Watching the barrel of the gun creep closer, Shujinkou could only further tighten his grip on Sayori.

"How hard is it to find one single monster? She's a freaking kid who fell from a cliff!"

The gun soon flew over them and out of the bush.

"Stop complaining. Like you said, she fell from a cliff; she couldn't have gotten far."

Shujinkou could hear the sounds of footsteps creep away from them. His heart continued to beat against his chest until silence fell around him.

He waited a few moments before he stepped out of the bush. There was no one around but that didn't deter him from continuing to move slowly and silently throughout the forest.

Every now and then, he heard footsteps and the sounds of rustling leaves prompting to take a detour. Continuing that trend, Shujinkou arrived at his home village.

He let out a sigh of relief; not only because he made it back safely, but also because no one was out right now.

He had heard that monsters harass humans and wasn't sure how his fellow villagers would react to him bringing one home, no matter how injured she was.

Shujinkou quickly returned home. The moment he stepped inside, he was confronted by his mother.

Her worried eyes were quickly drawn to Sayori and she kneeled down towards them.

"What happened?" she asked.

"I don't know. She fell off a cliff and these guys were after her," Shujinkou explained.

"Oh, Shujinkou…" Hiro immediately stopped herself from saying more and lifted Sayori up from Shujinkou's arms. "Well, I'm glad that you made it back home safe. I'll take care of things from here."

The young child watched his mother carry his future best friend up stairs for treatment. Scratching his right cheek, Shujinkou looked back at the front door and wondered aloud, "Why were they chasing her?"

**-Present Day-**

That question and the fear he felt back then quickly prompted Shujinkou to grab Sayori and dive towards the ground.

"What're you doing, Shiko?" she asked.

"Those are the same guys that were after you the night I found you!" he whispered.

"They are?!" she whispered back.

"I mean, I don't know if they're the ones back then, but they have to be part of the same team. We have to get out of here."

Nodding her head, Sayori followed Shujinkou downstairs. They exited the house through the back door and peaked around the corner.

"How is it?" one of them asked.

"How does it look?" the one inspecting the robot sarcastically replied. "It's full of holes."

"What was it chasing again?"

"Some sort of neko, I heard."

"You're saying a cat did this? A cat monster did this?"

Shujinkou was bemused by his comments. Were nekos not all as strong as Natsuki?

"Doesn't matter now; continue the search. I need to radio HQ and tell them we'll need a pickup."

_Sounds like it's time for us to move._

Shujinkou led Sayori away from the house and down a nearby alley. It was like when he was younger, he had to move slowly and silently as he narrowly avoided confrontations with armed men.

Everything was going well, in fact, too well for Shujinkou's liking. Maybe it was because of how his journey went so far, but how easily they were alluding men who seemed trained for occasions such as this suspicious.

They eventually made it to the edge of the village without alerting anyone of their presence.

"Freeze!"

"I knew it…" Shujinkou muttered.

The two slowly turned around. Standing behind them was one of the men that were searching the village.

Keeping his gun trained on them, he slowly reached for his combat bag. Shujinkou knew what was going to happen next. The man was going to call his comrades and they may try to finish what the robot started.

But he wasn't a child anymore. He had a way of fighting back. But would a sword truly work in a situation like this. He wouldn't even come close to the armed man before he would be full of holes.

Shujinkou watched the man's hand slip into the bag. Suddenly, a tea pot dropped on his head, instantly rendering the man who was holding them unconscious.

"Huh?"

Shujinkou could only stare at the unconscious man in front of him and the teapot next to him.

"Where did that come from…?" he wondered aloud.

"I don't know, but it's good that it came right?" Sayori happily replied.

Shujinkou's eyes were then drawn to three devices lying next to the stranger's bag. They looked like phones.

Picking one of them up, Shujinkou turned it on and watched it boot up.

_It is a phone._

He flicked through the screens. It was similar to the Saisei phone his grandmother gave to his mother as a gift, but there were apps on it he had never seen before and was sure they weren't public.

_Did these guys hack their phones?_

Footsteps soon interrupted his inspection. Shujinkou frantically grabbed the other two phones and took off with Sayori before anyone could see them.


End file.
